NSEP David L. Boren Graduate Fellowship Program

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate Fellowships offer study abroad opportunities for graduate students interested in geographic areas, languages, and other fields of study underrepresented in study abroad and critical to U.S. national security broadly defined. Students propose their own study plansfor Language study (required), research, or internship in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren Fellows must commit to at least one year of federal government service following graduation from their program of study; see Service Examples and FAQ's for further information. Preference is given to students seeking one full year of academic study.

REQUIREMENTS

U.S. citizens at the time of application;

Currently matriculated in or applying to a U.S. graduate program;

Study or research abroad (including internships, in conjunction with language study) in any one or more eligible countries and languages;

Commit to at least one year of federal government service (Departments of State, Defense, or Homeland Security or within the Intelligence community) within two years of graduation. See the Boren and Public Service page for further information;

Not have completed all degree requirements by the start of the fellowship period on June 1, 2018. Students are expected to return to complete coursework or other degree requirements following completion of the Boren fellowship.

AWARD TYPES

Up to $24,000/year or $12,000/semester for overseas study;

Up to $30,000 for a combined domestic and overseas study.

LENGTH OF STUDY

Minimum of 12 weeks for overseas study with preference given to programs of 6-12 months in duration;

Maximum of 2 years for a combined domestic and overseas study;

Overseas study can begin no earlier than June 1, 2018 and no later than March 2, 2019.

INTENSIVE STUDY IN AFRICAN, SOUTH ASIAN & INDONESIAN (NEW!) LANGUAGES

NEW! Indonesian Flagship Languages Initiative (IFLI): newly added for 2018-19, students are now able to pursue intensive study of Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia). This immersive program begins with an intensive summer domestic language institute at the University of Wisconsin, followed by a fall overseas program in Indonesia at the State University of Malang (UM) administered by the American Councils for International Education. See the IFLI page for full details.

African Flagship Languages Initiative (AFLI): offers applicants the opportunity to study African languages and cultures by participating in domestic and overseas language programs. Language study in French, Portuguese or Swahili is required through formal enrollment in the fall 2016 program administered by American Councils for International Education; study in Akan/Twi, Wolof or Zulu through an abroad study program proposed by the applicant. See the AFLI page for full details.

South Asian Flagship Languages Initiative (SAFLI): offers applicants the opportunity to intensively study Hindi or Urdu through a domestic summer program and overseas fall program. The overseas programs will take place at the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) centers in Jaipur for Hindi and Lucknow for Urdu; the domestic program will be at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. See the SAFLI page for full details.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants should thoroughly review the application instructions before they begin designing their individual program of study. In addition to meeting the criteria of "critical to US national security," the proposed program also should include study of a foreign language of the chosen country or region; domestic language study in conjunction with abroad study or research also possible under the "combined" award type. The following components comprise the application:

All students considering an application or looking to apply for a Boren Graduate Fellowship are strongly encouraged to contact Maria Snyder, Campus Representative for the Boren Graduate Fellowship Program, for guidance with the application. Students should also consult the applicant resources and review profiles of the 2018-19 Boren Fellows to ascertain appropriateness of plan of study or research topic.